The potential environmental benefits of reusable and recyclable materials stocks in Toronto's single-detached housing

Building Materials ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Environmental Benefit ◽

Material Volume ◽

Material Reuse ◽

The City ◽

Common Barriers

This study examines the stocks of building materials in Toronto’s in-use and annual obsolete single detached housing, to provide potential environmental benefit parameters for city scale material reuse and recycling. The material volumes of five archetypes, developed to represent typical Toronto housing, were measured and extrapolated to the city scale. Applying established criteria for reusability and recyclability, city scale reusable and recyclable stocks were determined for three environmental indicators: material volume headed to landfill, carbon dioxide emissions, and primary energy consumption. It was determined that 61-66% of the material volume in Toronto’s in-use and annual obsolete housing could be reclaimed for reuse/recycling, and was mostly composed of masonry, concrete, and framing lumber from houses built from 1930-1960. Additionally, annual obsolete reusable materials represented an embodied carbon of 2,287-4,116 tonnes and energy of 52,883-95,189 GJ. By addressing common barriers to widespread uptake of reuse/recycling, Toronto could reap these determined potential environmental benefits.

The potential environmental benefits of reusable and recyclable materials stocks in Toronto's single-detached housing

10.32920/ryerson.14661621.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Deniz N Ergun

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Environmental Benefit ◽

Material Volume ◽

Material Reuse ◽

The City ◽

Common Barriers

Evaluation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems Performance With Dual Power Generation Units

ASME 2012 6th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/es2012-91046 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Alta Knizley ◽

Pedro J. Mago

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Operating Cost ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Combined Heat And Power ◽

Department Of Energy ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Optimum Operating ◽

Electric Load ◽

Chp System

This paper evaluates the economic, energetic, and environmental feasibility of using two power generation units (PGUs) to operate a combined heat and power (CHP) system. A benchmark building developed by the Department of Energy for a full-service restaurant in Chicago, IL is used to analyze the proposed configuration. This location is selected since it usually provides favorable CHP system conditions in terms of cost and emissions reduction. In this investigation, one PGU is operated at base load to satisfy part of the electricity building requirements (PGU1), while the other is used to satisfy the remaining electricity requirement operating following the electric load (PGU2). The dual-PGU configuration (D-CHP) is modeled for several different scenarios in order to determine the optimum operating range for the selected benchmark building. The dual-PGU scenario is compared with the reference building using conventional technology to determine the economical, energetic, and environmental benefits of this proposed system. This condition is also compared to a CHP system operating following the electric load (FEL) and to a base-loaded CHP system, and it provides greater savings in operating cost, primary energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions than the optimized conditions for base loading and FEL.

Measuring What Matters, Where It Matters: A Spatially Explicit Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index for the Sustainable Development Goals

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities ◽

10.3389/frsc.2020.556484 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Angel Hsu ◽

Tirthankar Chakraborty ◽

Ryan Thomas ◽

Diego Manya ◽

Amy Weinfurter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Census Data ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Tree Cover ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Global Coverage

The Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index (UESI) creates a new spatial framework to measure progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG-11). SDG-11 aims for cities to be both sustainable and inclusive by 2030 and conceptualizes this goal in spatially-explicit ways. Few data sources or indices, however, measure its progress in both a comprehensive (global coverage) and detailed (intra-city) manner. To address this gap, we use publicly-available datasets including detailed census data, satellite remote sensing, and crowdsourced data that provide global coverage and regular temporal resolution to develop spatially-explicit indicators to measure neighborhood-level environmental performance in 164 global cities. The UESI framework includes 10 indicators that assess air pollution, urban tree cover, public transit access, and urban heat at the neighborhood scale, and water stress and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels at the city-level. We also present a new method for quantifying distributional equity to measure how evenly or unevenly cities are distributing environmental benefits and burdens across neighborhoods. We find that the majority of the UESI cities disproportionately burden lower-income communities with higher shares of environmental burdens and lower shares of environmental benefits. This finding holds true even in cities that perform highly on environmental indicators. In light of the challenging, rapidly evolving urban contexts, the UESI framework serves as a way of addressing some of the central challenges—data standardization, data gathering, and data localization—around the SDGs.

Quantifying Environmental Burdens of Plasters Based on Natural vs. Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Gypsum

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4298

Author(s):

Edyta Baran ◽

Sebastian Czernik ◽

Mariusz Hynowski ◽

Bartosz Michałowski ◽

Michał Piasecki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Flue Gas ◽

Building Materials ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Energy Resources ◽

Flue Gas Desulfurization ◽

Fgd Gypsum ◽

Depletion Potential

The ongoing global climate change and the associated environmental degradation pose a threat to Europe and the rest of the world. Raw materials and energy are required to produce building materials, which are used for construction purposes. Resulting buildings and structures generate waste during construction, operation, and demolition, and they emit potentially harmful substances. Thus, the key to achieving climate goals is to support low-emission materials and technologies in the construction sector, significantly impacting the environment. In the European Union, building materials are not yet subject to mandatory sustainability assessment during the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP). Objective evaluation of construction materials’ environmental impact requires it to be carried out based on production data on an industrial scale. This article presents the environmental impact of premixed gypsum-based plasters, commonly used in modern construction. Nine environmental indicators (global warming potential (GWP), depletion potential of the stratospheric ozone layer (ODP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), formation potential of tropospheric ozone (POCP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP)-elements, ADP-fossil fuels, renewable primary energy resources (PERT), and nonrenewable primary energy resources (PERNT)) of premixed gypsum plasters based on natural and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum were estimated and discussed. Knowledge of the construction products’ environmental impact is fundamental for creating reliable databases. AVCP of construction materials in the future will use the data collected during the voluntary environmental impact evaluation.

An insight into the quality of internal built environment in Vladivostok. Part 2: Studying the sanitary and microbiological condition of indoor air

Stroitel stvo nauka i obrazovanie [Construction Science and Education] ◽

10.22227/2305-5502.2020.4.4 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 48-60

Author(s):

Vladimir A. Drozd ◽

Anna L. Ponomareva ◽

Valery V. Chernyshev ◽

Kirill S. Golokhvast

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Analytical Data ◽

Field Research ◽

Scientific Work ◽

Number Of Microorganisms ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

Introduction. This work is devoted to study the microbiological composition of the air 110 dwellings in the city of Vladivostok and the assessment of the impact of various factors on the microbiological condition of premises. The study is aimed at obtaining information about the real sanitary and hygienic conditions of the exploited residential area and identifying patterns of changes in environmental indicators from design decisions, building parameters and conditions of its operation. Research statistics are the result of field research with laboratory processing of the samples obtained. The relevance of scientific work also lies in the possibility of further factor analysis and verification of sanitary norms and rules with the practice of real design and operation of residential buildings. Materials and methods. Surveys were conducted on the basis of air sampling with subsequent assessment of the content of bacteria in the air of apartment buildings of different types, built at different times from different materials. Results. The section presents analytical data on the content of three main groups of bacteria in the air of residential premises located on the territory of Vladivostok. Based on the accumulated data, a comparative analysis was carried out to establish a correlation between the number of microorganisms in the air and the city area, the type of building material of the house, the density of apartment occupancy, and the presence of pets. Conclusions. Data on the influence of apartment occupancy density on the sanitary and microbiological situation were obtained. The assessment of the influence on the density of microbiological contamination of such factors as: the presence of pets, the type of building materials from which buildings are built, as well as the territorial location of the surveyed apartments.

What Is the Impact of Mass Timber Utilization on Climate and Forests?

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14020758 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 758

Author(s):

Rachel Pasternack ◽

Mark Wishnie ◽

Caitlin Clarke ◽

Yangyang Wang ◽

Ethan Belair ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Building Materials ◽

Production Cross ◽

Climate Impact ◽

Forest Carbon ◽

Wood Products ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Positive Outcomes ◽

Mass Timber ◽

The Impact

As the need to address climate change grows more urgent, policymakers, businesses, and others are seeking innovative approaches to remove carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. Forests can play a role in reducing atmospheric carbon. However, there is disagreement over whether forests are most effective in reducing carbon emissions when left alone versus managed for sustainable harvesting and wood product production. Cross-laminated timber is at the forefront of the mass timber movement, which is enabling designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to build taller wood buildings. Several recent studies have shown that substituting mass timber for steel and concrete in mid-rise buildings can reduce the emissions associated with manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials by 13%-26.5%. However, the prospect of increased utilization of wood products as a climate solution also raises questions about the impact of increased demand for wood on forest carbon stocks, on forest condition, and on the provision of the many other critical social and environmental benefits that healthy forests can provide. A holistic assessment of the total climate impact of forest product demand across product substitution, carbon storage in materials, current and future forest carbon stock, and forest area and condition is challenging, but it is important to understand the impact of increased mass timber utilization on forests and climate, and therefore also on which safeguards might be necessary to ensure positive outcomes. To thus assess the potential impacts, both positive and negative, of greater mass timber utilization on forests ecosystems and emissions associated with the built environment, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) initiated a global mass timber impact assessment (GMTIA), a five-part, highly collaborative research program focused on understanding the potential benefits and risks of increased demand for mass timber products on forests and identifying appropriate safeguards to ensure positive outcomes.

Environmental Benefit of Alternative Binders in Construction Industry: Life Cycle Assessment

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments9010006 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 6

Author(s):

Girts Bumanis ◽

Aleksandrs Korjakins ◽

Diana Bajare

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Building Materials ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Raw Material ◽

Environmental Benefit

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with Portland cement (PC) production is ranked as the highest among the construction materials and it is estimated that 8% of the worlds CO2 discharges is due to PC production. As an average, the production of PC clinker including calcination process generates 0.81 kg of carbon dioxide per one kg of cement. Hence, new approaches which limit the negative environmental impacts of cement production and are aimed at the development of advanced methodologies are introduced. Implementation of lower energy consumption materials in production, which could moderately substitute PC in binders, can be addressed as one of the probable methods in mitigating environmental risks. Therefore, alternative binders fit into the most promising solutions. Present research investigates the environmental impact of the building sector, if an alternative to PC binder is used. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used in this research to assess the environmental impact of the alternative ternary gypsum-PC-pozzolan binder in the production of mortar, and the environmental benefits were calculated and compared to traditional cement-based building materials. Phosphogypsum was considered as a secondary raw material, as in the current approach it is collected in open stacks bringing environmental concerns. SimaPro LCA software with the Ecoinvent database was used for most of the calculation processes. Results indicate that with alternative binders up to 30% of energy can be saved and 57 wt.% of CO2 emissions can be reduced, bringing positive impact on the construction industries contribution to the environment.

Counting Fish: Environmental Benefits Calculation for Avoided Costs Analysis in Urban Water Use Efficiency Planning

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2008.030 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Katie Shulte Joung ◽

Mary Ann Dickinson

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Urban Water ◽

Environmental Benefit ◽

Conservation Programs ◽

Water Utility ◽

Water Savings ◽

Urban Water Use ◽

Use Efficiency

This report documents a project undertaken for the California Urban Water Conservation Council to create a method to calculate water utility avoided costs and assign economic value to the environmental benefits of raw water savings as a result of implementing urban water conservation programs. It is assumed that water savings associated with implementation of conservation programs can be quantified and represented as a reduction in the demand for water from a particular set of supply sources. This demand reduction may in turn result in a change to the availability of an environmental benefit provided by that source. Environmental valuation, as it is applied here, is relatively new and there are numerous complications, ambiguities, data gaps and differences of opinion in the application of the methodology. For that reason, this report should be considered a pioneering effort to put together all the required elements in a single coherent framework.

Multi-Criteria Selection of Additives in Porous Asphalt Mixtures Using Mechanical, Hydraulic, Economic, and Environmental Indicators

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042146 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2146

Author(s):

Anik Gupta ◽

Carlos J. Slebi-Acevedo ◽

Esther Lizasoain-Arteaga ◽

Jorge Rodriguez-Hernandez ◽

Daniel Castro-Fresno

Keyword(s):

Cellulose Fiber ◽

Asphalt Mixtures ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Modified Bitumen ◽

Porous Asphalt ◽

Different Types ◽

Product Assessment ◽

Polymer Modified Bitumen ◽

Selection Of

Porous asphalt (PA) mixtures are more environmentally friendly but have lower durability than dense-graded mixtures. Additives can be incorporated into PA mixtures to enhance their mechanical strength; however, they may compromise the hydraulic characteristics, increase the total cost of pavement, and negatively affect the environment. In this paper, PA mixtures were produced with 5 different types of additives including 4 fibers and 1 filler. Their performances were compared with the reference mixtures containing virgin bitumen and polymer-modified bitumen. The performance of all mixes was assessed using: mechanical, hydraulic, economic, and environmental indicators. Then, the Delphi method was applied to compute the relative weights for the parameters in multi-criteria decision-making methods. Evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS), technique for order of the preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) were employed to rank the additives. According to the results obtained, aramid pulp displayed comparable and, for some parameters such as abrasion resistance, even better performance than polymer-modified bitumen, whereas cellulose fiber demonstrated the best performance regarding sustainability, due to economic and environmental benefits.

Enhancement of Food Waste Management and Its Environmental Consequences

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14061790 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1790

Author(s):

Jan den Boer ◽

Gudrun Obersteiner ◽

Sebastian Gollnow ◽

Emilia den Boer ◽

Renata Bodnárné Sándor

Keyword(s):

Anaerobic Digestion ◽

Waste Management ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Biological Pretreatment ◽

Environmental Benefit ◽

Kitchen Waste ◽

Considerable Saving ◽

Positive Effects

This paper assesses the potential environmental effects of the optimization of the kitchen waste management in Opole. The separate collection of kitchen waste is improved by distribution of separate collection kits consisting of an in-home bin and 10 L biodegradable bags. The surplus of collected kitchen waste is diverted from treatment in a mechanical-biological pretreatment (MBP) along with the residual waste to anaerobic digestion (AD) with the biowaste. This has positive effects on European and Polish goals, ambitions, and targets, such as (i) increasing the level of renewables in the primary energy supply, (ii) decreasing the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, (iii) increasing the level of preparation for reuse and recycling of municipal waste. The environmental effects of 1 ton additionally separately collected and treated kitchen waste are determined by using life cycle assessment. It was shown that in all selected impact categories (global warming potential, marine eutrophication potential, acidification potential, and ozone depletion potential) a clear environmental benefit can be achieved. These benefits are mainly caused by the avoided emissions of electricity and heat from the Polish production mix, which are substituted by energy generation from biogas combustion. Optimization of the waste management system by diversion of kitchen waste from mechanical-biological pretreatment to anaerobic digestion can lead to considerable saving of 448 kg CO2-eq/t of waste diverted. With an estimated optimization potential for the demonstration site of 40 kg/inh·year for the city of Opole, this would lead to 680,000 t CO2-eq savings per year for the whole of Poland. The sensitivity analysis showed that with a choice for cleaner energy sources the results would, albeit lower, show a significant savings potential.